Little Quarry Engines
by Percyfan1998
Summary: Another Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends 'book' by me. This time focusing on the various quarries around the island of Sodor, with stories from Sodor's present and past revolving around quarries. INCOMPLETE AS OF NOW.
1. Foreword

**_Little Quarry Engines_**

 _By David Hanson_

 _Foreword_

 _ **D**_ _ear_ _ **F**_ _riends_ ,

The heart of industry for many railway lines come from quarries, the mining of rock is particularly of importance as stone is used for railway infrastructure and other types of buildings. As of recently on Sodor some rather interesting events have happened at the various quarries on the island. And here are some of the events that have happened with them.

The Author.


	2. Jumping Pots and Points

_Jumping Pots and Points_

 ** _A_** _nopha_ quarry on Thomas' Branchline has been on the railway for many years since its profitability was first tapped into by John Croarie. Toby and Mavis work very hard on this line, and before Toby's arrival, the Coffee pots.

This story is about them, and a mistake made...

~ _1936_ ~

Thomas arrived one afternoon at the top station, left Annie and Clarabel in the coach shed, and grumpily pulled into a spare siding, to await one of the coffee pot engines to bring him the stone trucks from the quarry, but he already knew which one it was… and Thomas wasn't looking forword to seeing him.

Soon a loud whistle hooted from the tramway, and chuffing in fast was a grey coffee pot, dirty with coal dust, and was cackling loudly to himself, annoying the trucks behind him greatly. "Hohoho!" he roared, braking in, Thomas could only flinch as he saw sparks flying from the rails as the engine unceromoniously stopped himself.

"Now that's a journey!" the older engine chuckled arrogantly. "Ah yes, nothing like coasting down that twisty line, getting into brushes and scrapes with danger at every curve and every jolt! Sir says to obey the speed limit, but what fun is that when those steeps bends and vertical stretches of downhill line just beg to be taken advantage of?! Now that's how ye do it young Thomas, let ol' Sammuel tell ya exactly how it's done!"

Thomas, sighed, rolled his eyes, and waited for Sammuel to uncouple from the cars. And as soon as Thomas coupled up to them, he quickly pulled out of the yard and onto the open line. Without a single word to the coffee pot. "Rule obeying whippersnapper! That young engine has probably never even tried to pull the stunts I can! Too scared," Sammuel muttered grumpily out loud.

Alongside Glynn, Sammuel had once worked for the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway, and was now the one of the last two coffee pots originally built by Sir  
Topham Hatt to still be working for the railway. The other two had long been put out of service and sadly scrapped by the time the Northwestern Railway was established.

Glynn had been the first built, and for the most part was a patient engine, and was quick to teach Thomas all about how to handle the line and the trains that went with it.

But Sammuel was another story, he had been the last of the four coffee pots to be built. He was slightly bigger than Glynn, but didn't tower over the elderly pot. But Sammuel - it seemed - had been built with a reckless streak in him, he'd fly along the line at the fastest rate he could go, and take joy whenever the rails under him would buckle, or even bump him if they weren't straight enough, this had always how it'd been with him. They even took him to pieces to see if anything was wrong, but could find nothing, and so, even though many workmen complained about the grey engines' antics, Sir Topham somehow kepted the rambunctious engine in service.

"He's a danger to anyone in his path!" Thomas would exclaim frustratedly to anyone who'd listen. "He's careless, that'll get him one day, the way he treats the trucks is uncalled for. And I know the damage they can do! Those stone trucks might be the end of him, I can feel it..."

Glynn of course tried talking to him, but Sammuel just wouldn't listen.

"Just… Be careful," Glynn sighed one day, "it's the winter season, and it's bad enough having heard what happened to that big green engine last year… H-H-Harr… Henry! Yes, that was his name. It's bad enough one engine has already been put out of action on this railway because of the elements, we don't need you ending up getting hurt too!"

"Pooh!" laughed Sammuel, as he shunted his train together in a lordly way. "I have a guard don't I? And I've been doing this for years! I know how to take care of myself, what more do you want?" It was clear that Sammuel wasn't listening to reason at all.

"Still," Glynn warned, "trucks can be tricky, and I highly doubt _yet_ that they've tried pushing you downhill, 'cause you probably already terrorized them into not even trying."

"Mm hm, and that's how I like it!" And with an obnoxiously long toot of his whistle, Sammuel began his trek down the line towards the top station.

The load was heavier today than usual, and Sammuel felt the weight push hard against his buffers as he reached the first slope. "Erm…" he muttered, "it'll be difficult. But nothing I can't manage!"

And soon he was rocking along the line. The trucks were panicked! "Not so fast! Not so fast!" they yelled. Their loads were heavy, and the rails steep, and so they bumped into eachother and began - not on purpose this time - to push Sammuel faster and faster.

"Ahahahaha!" he roared, "Look at me go!"

But his driver thought otherwise. "Woah, easy," he said, trying to ease the brakes, but it was too late...

The rails were slippery, the suddenly dipped as they passed a sign that read "ALL TRAINS MUST STOP TO PIN DOWN BRAKES" and as much as Sammuel's driver tried to stop him, the load was too heavy, and Sammuel's brakes too weak.

He hurtled down the line at an alarming rate, he was putting it in all his power to try and keep the trucks form pushing too hard. Soon he was nearing Ffarquhar. "The runaway siding will stop us," Sammuel thought, "if only I wasn't going so fast right now..."

But it was too late, the points buckled as soon as he hit them, collapsing underneath his weight, sending him down the ballast before a loud SCRUNCH was heard as he slammed through a nearby brick wall, his trucks of stone spilling everywhere having gone down with him…

His crew looked up from where they had landed before the crash, and saw their engine, tiled on his side, with steam leaking everywhere. They ran quickly into town for the nearest phone...

 **OoOoO**

"There's... nothing for it," the Inspector grimly said, standing up, Sammuel's driver and fireman could only take their hats off in respect. "I'm sorry, Sammuel," the Inspector continued, trying to ignore the lump in his throat, "But the damage you've taken, a bent boiler, completely shattered brakes… and your frames… T-the board has decided… That you are to be scrapped as soon as you are put back upright They… Don't think you're needed in service."

Sammuel could only choke as he found he had nothing to say, he looked miserably at the weeds infront of him and the crushed bricks. "Heh…" he said weakly, he said this loud enough for Thomas to hear, as the tank engine arrived with the breakdown train to help clear the trucks, "I guess I really did go out with a bang, didn't I…?"

Thomas' eyes were wide with shock as he heard that, and as years would go on, he was certain those were the last ever words Sammuel had spoken out loud, he remembered the rest of that gloomy day was spent in total silence.

That evening he received a visit from the same Inspector, the mood at the shed was grim, with Thomas having said nothing after having to haul Sammuel's crumpled body to the junction, and left him there to his fate.

"Thomas, with the lost of Sammuel," the Inspector said evenly, "The board has notioned that it would be best to have Glynn removed from service as well…" Thomas gasped, not Glynn too surely, he thought. "But not scrapped!" the Inspector quickly added, "He is instead to be moved to storage in a siding until a decision is made on what to do with him. As for the quarry, it's been decided by the board to change the branches passenger service schedules to accomodate your new task of having to run the tramway to Anopha, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Thomas said glumly.

The Inspector could only smile weakly at Thomas before adding, "Oh, and just a reminder Thomas, that line had strict public road safety rules, so be careful mind! Sammuel was just lucky y'know!"


End file.
